Web Service Interface and Querying

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and computer-readable media are disclosed to generate an interface for a web service and to query the web service. A method includes generating a user interface associated with a web service. The user interface includes one or more input parameter options associated with the web service. The user interface is generated based on a service specification and one or more series specifications associated with the service specification. User input is received via the user interface, where the user input includes a selection of at least one of the one or more input parameter options. A query of the web service is generated based on the user input, and the query reflects at least one selected input parameter option.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

The present application claims priority from and is a continuationapplication of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/616,796 filed on Nov.12, 2009 and entitled “WEB SERVICE INTERFACE AND QUERYING,” the contentsof which are expressly incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND

Web services have become an increasingly popular way to achieveinter-computer communication over a network. Web services are typicallyaccessed via queries that are defined based on application programminginterfaces (APIs). However, learning how to use such APIs may be atime-consuming process and may require users to review a significantamount of web service documentation. Further, web servers that host webservices often offer dozens of APIs, or more. API-based web serviceaccess typically requires computer programming knowledge. Due to thelack of visual feedback in text-based computer programs, API-based webservice access may be unintuitive. Thus, constructing a web servicequery can be a long and demanding process for users.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure describes automated interface generation for aweb service where the interface enables queries of the web service basedon user input. Thus, web service operation may be wholly driven via userinput at the interface. The web service interface may be generated basedon service and series specifications (e.g., XML files). In response touser input, the web service interface may be automatically refreshed toreflect the received input, thereby providing an “active” interface tothe web service. When a query of the web service is invoked, theinterface may display a preview of the results generated by the query.Interface generation and query building enables users to leverage webservices without learning complex application programming interfaces(APIs). In addition, uniform resource identifiers (URIs) and programclasses may be automatically generated and retrievable by users tore-execute previously invoked queries.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram to illustrate a particular embodiment of a system togenerate an interface for a web service and to query the web service;

FIG. 2 is a diagram to illustrate another particular embodiment of asystem to generate an interface for a web service and to query the webservice;

FIG. 3 is a diagram to illustrate a particular embodiment of a servicespecification that may be used with the system of FIG. 1 or the systemof FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagram to illustrate a particular embodiment of a seriesspecification that may be used with the system of FIG. 1 or the systemof FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is diagram to illustrate a particular embodiment of automaticallyrefreshing an interface for a web service based on user input;

FIG. 6 is a diagram to illustrate a particular embodiment of aninterface for a web service including previewing results of a query ofthe web service;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram to illustrate a particular embodiment of amethod to generate an interface for a web service and to query the webservice;

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram to illustrate a particular embodiment of amethod of receiving an interface for a web service and generating aquery of the web service; and

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a computing environment including acomputing device operable to support embodiments of computer-implementedmethods, computer program products, and system components as illustratedin FIGS. 1-8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media to generate an interfacefor a web service and to query the web service are disclosed. In aparticular embodiment, a system includes a memory and a processorcoupled to the memory. The processor is configured to retrieveinstructions from the memory that cause execution of an interfacemodule, a query module, and a results module. The interface module isconfigured to generate a user interface associated with a web service,where the user interface includes one or more input parameter optionsassociated with the web service. The interface module is also configuredto receive user input via the user interface, where the user inputincludes a selection of at least one of the one or more input parameteroptions. The interface module is further configured to automaticallyrefresh the one or more input parameter options at the user interfacebased on the received user input. The query module is configured togenerate a query of the web service based on the received user input.The query reflects the at least one selected input parameter option. Thequery module is also configured to invoke the generated query withrespect to the web service to generate results, and the results moduleis configured to automatically display the results at the userinterface.

In another particular embodiment, a method includes generating a userinterface associated with a web service. The user interface includes oneor more input parameter options associated with the web service. Theuser interface is generated at a computer system based on an extensiblemarkup language (XML) service specification and one or more XML seriesspecifications associated with the XML service specification.Alternately, the specifications may be represented in anycomputer-recognizable language (e.g., text file, rich text format (RTF),or hyper text markup language (HTML)). The method also includesreceiving user input via the user interface, where the user inputincludes a selection of the one or more input parameter options. Themethod further includes generating a query of the web service based onthe received user input, where the query reflects the selection of theone or more input parameter options. The method includes invoking thegenerated query with respect to the web service and automatically addingresults of the invoked query to the user interface.

In another particular embodiment, a computer-readable medium isdisclosed. The computer-readable medium includes instructions, that whenexecuted by a computer, cause the computer to receive a user interfaceassociated with a web service from a web server, where the userinterface includes one or more input parameter options associated withthe web service. The user interface is generated based on an extensiblemarkup language (XML) service specification and one or more XML seriesspecifications associated with the XML service specification. Thecomputer-readable medium also includes instructions, that when executedby the computer, cause the computer to display the user interface and toreceive user input at the user interface. The user input includes aselection of at least one of the one or more input parameter options.The computer-readable medium further includes instructions, that whenexecuted by the computer, cause the computer to transmit the user inputto a web server and to receive a modified user interface from the webserver, where the modified user interface reflects the user input. Thecomputer-readable medium includes instructions, that when executed bythe computer, cause the computer to display the modified user interface,to generate a query of the web service based on the received user input,and to transmit the generated query to the web server. Thecomputer-readable medium also includes instructions, that when executedby the computer, cause the computer to receive results based on aninvocation of the generated query from the web server and to display theresults at the modified user interface.

FIG. 1 is a diagram to illustrate a particular embodiment of a system100 to generate an interface (e.g., an illustrative user interface 114)for a web service 140 and to query the web service 140. The web service140 is communicatively coupled to the system 100. The web service 140may also be communicatively coupled to one or more data sources (e.g.,an illustrative database 150).

The system 100 includes an interface module 110 configured to generatethe user interface 114 for the web service 140, where the user interface114 includes one or more input parameter options 116. In a particularembodiment, the user interface 114 is generated based on service andseries specifications 112 associated with the web service 140. Forexample, the service and series specifications 112 may be extensiblemarkup language (XML) files that include information useable to build aquery of the web service 140. Information useable to build a query ofthe web service 140 may include a paging permission, a service title, aservice description, list parameters, series uniform resource identifier(URI) templates, series identifiers, series source paths, and parametertypes/bounds/options (e.g., string, integer, floating point, andBoolean). The series source paths included in a service specificationmay be useable to generate URIs associated with a particular seriesspecification. For example, a series source path may be appended to aseries URI template to generate a URI for a particular seriesspecification. An illustrative XML service specification is furtherdescribed with respect to FIG. 3. An illustrative XML seriesspecification is further described with respect to FIG. 4. Illustrativeuser interfaces are further described with respect to FIGS. 5-6.

The interface module 110 is also configured to receive user input 104(e.g., from the user 102) via the user interface 114. The user input 104may include a selection of one or more of the input parameter options116. Upon receiving the user input 104, the interface module 110 mayautomatically refresh the user interface 114 to reflect the user input104. In a particular embodiment, the user interface 114 is refreshed inaccordance with one or more auto-refresh URIs included in the serviceand series specifications 112. For example, automatically refreshing theuser interface 114 based on the user input 104 may include refreshingthe display of graphical user interface (GUI) elements associated withthe input parameter options 116 (e.g., a drop down menu associated witha list parameter) or updating one or more bounds (e.g., minimum andmaximum values of numeric values or a maximum length of string values)of the input parameter options 116. Auto-refresh operations at aninterface associated with a web service are further described withrespect to FIG. 5.

The system 100 includes a query module 120 that is configured togenerate a query 122 of the web service 140 based on the received userinput 104. The query 122 reflects the selection of the one or more ofthe input parameter options 116. The query module 120 is also configuredto invoke the generated query 122 with respect to the web service 140 togenerate results 132 of the query invocation. For example, the webservice 140 may provide data querying abilities with respect to thedatabase 150, and the query module 120 may invoke the query 122 (e.g., aquery that filters certain tables of the database 150) to generate theresults 132 (e.g., the resulting filtered data from the selected tablesof the database 150). In a particular embodiment, one or more of the webservice 140 and the database 150 are remote to the system 100 and areaccessible via one or more data communications networks (e.g., theInternet). It should be noted that although the web service 140 and thedatabase 150 are illustrated as being remote from each other, the webservice 140 and the database 150 may instead be located at a singlecomputing device, such as a web server or database server, or at asingle location.

In a particular embodiment, the query module 120 is further configuredto automatically generate one or more program classes (e.g., C++classes, C# classes, or Java classes) that are useable to invoke thequery 122. For example, the selected one or more input parameter options116 may be encapsulated within the program classes or may be provided asinput parameters to an invocation method of the program classes. Theuser interface 114 may be operable (e.g., via a hyperlink) by the user102 to retrieve the one or more program classes. Using program classesto invoke the query 122 may include transmitting authorizationinformation such as an account key and a session identifier (e.g., aglobally unique identifier (GUM)) to the web service 140. Thus, programclasses may enable execution of the query 122 when the system 100 is inan offline or powered-down state. Hyperlinks for program classes arefurther illustrated with reference to FIG. 6.

In a particular embodiment, the query module 120 is further configuredto generate a representational state transfer (REST) URI that is useableto invoke the query 122 without execution of the query module 120. Thatis, the REST URI may be used to invoke the query 122 at anytime,including when the system 100 is not in operation. For example, theselected one or more input parameter options 116 may be encapsulated(e.g., in encrypted or clear-text format) as part of the REST URI. Whenthe REST URI is invoked (e.g., at a browser), the selected one or moreinput parameter options 116 are transmitted to the web service as partof the REST URI. Thus, REST URIs may enable execution of the query 122when the system 100 is in an offline or powered-down state. REST URIsare further illustrated with reference to FIG. 6.

The system 100 includes a results module 130 that is configured toreceive results 132 of the invocation of the query 122 and toautomatically display the received results 132 at the user interface114. In a particular embodiment, the query module 120 is configured toselectively invoke the query 122 in multiple data interchange formats(e.g., RAW XML, JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), or Atom SyndicationFormat (ATOM 1.0)), and the results module 130 is configured toselectively format the results 132 in any of the multiple datainterchange formats (e.g., RAW XML, JSON, and ATOM 1.0), in addition toa standard tabular format.

In a particular embodiment, a spreadsheet application at the system 100may accept the results 132 as input data, thereby providing the user 102with an ability to analyze or perform advanced analytics with respect tothe results 132.

In operation, the interface module 110 may generate the user interface114 for the web service 140 and the user 102 may provide user input 104by interacting with the user interface 114. Based on the user input 104(e.g., selections of one or more of the input parameter options 116),the user interface 114 may automatically refresh the user interface,update hyperlinks for program classes generated by the query module 120,and update the display of REST URIs generated by the query module 120.

The query module 120 may generate the query 122 of the web service 140based on the user input 104 and may invoke the query 122. The query 122may reflect user selection of one or more of the input parameter options116. The web service 140 may retrieve results 132 of the query 122 fromthe database 150. The results module 130 may receive the results 132 andmay display the results 132 at the user interface 114.

It will be appreciated that the system 100 of FIG. 1 may provide an“active” interface for web service query generation by automaticallyrefreshing the user interface 114 to stay current with and reflect userinput 104 received from the user 102. It will also be appreciated thatthe system 100 of FIG. 1 may simplify web service query generation. Forexample, instead of spending time learning how to use complexapplication programming interfaces (APIs) of the web service 140, usersthat know what data they are interested in (e.g., what input parameteroptions 116 should be reflected by the query 122) may instead operatethe user interface 114 to retrieve a dynamically created program classor a REST URI that is useable to invoke the query 122. Such dynamicallycreated program classes and REST URIs may be used even when the system100 is not in operation.

It will further be appreciated that the system 100 of FIG. 1 may providea preview mechanism that may assist query modification. For example, theuser 102 may make incremental changes to the query 122 and the system100 may enable the user 102 to preview effects of the incrementalchanges in the results 132 generated by the query 122. It will also beappreciated that web services (e.g., existing web services or newlycreated web services) may be made compatible with the interfacegeneration and querying capability of the system 100 of FIG. 1 byproviding series and service specifications (e.g., the specifications112) for the web service (e.g., the web service 140). Such series andservice specifications may be provided by web service developers.Alternately, series and service specifications may be automaticallygenerated (e.g., based on source code or definition files of webservices).

FIG. 2 is a diagram to illustrate another particular embodiment of asystem 200 to generate an interface for a web service 240 and to querythe web service 240. The web service 240 may be located at a web server260 that is communicatively coupled to a database 250 and to a displaydevice 206 (e.g., a display coupled a computing device). In anillustrative embodiment, the web service 240 is the web service 140 ofFIG. 1 and the database 250 is the database 250 of FIG. 1.

An interface module 210 may generate a user interface 214 for the webservice 240 and may transmit the user interface 214 for display at thedisplay device 206. For example, the user interface 214 may be generatedbased on XML service and series specifications 212 for the web service240. The interface module 210 may also receive user input 204 from auser 202 that is operating the user interface 214. The user input 204may include a selection of one or more input parameter optionsassociated with the web service 240 and that are displayed at the userinterface 214. The interface module 210 may automatically generate amodified user interface 215 based on the user input 204 and may transmitthe modified user interface 215 for display at the display device 206.Thus, from the perspective of the user 202, the user interface 214 maybe automatically refreshed to the modified user interface 215.

The web server 260 also includes a query module 220. In a particularembodiment, the query module 220 generates a query of the web service240 based on the user input 204. In another particular embodiment, theuser interface 214 (and the modified user interface 215) include querygeneration logic that is configured to generate a query 222 based on theuser input 204 and to transmit the query 222 to the web server 260. Thequery module 220 may invoke the query 222 with respect to the webservice 240 to generate results 232, and the results 232 may betransmitted for display at the display device 206. In a particularembodiment, the results 232 are retrieved from the database 250 by theweb service 240 based on the contents of the query 222.

In operation, the interface module 210 may generate the user interface214 for the web service 240 and may transmit the user interface 214 fordisplay at the display device 206. The user 202 may provide user input204 by interacting with the user interface 214. Based on the user input204, the interface module 210 may generate a modified user interface 215and may transmit the modified user interface 215 for display at thedisplay device 206.

The query 222 may be generated based on the user input 204 and may beinvoked by the query module 220 to generate the results 232. Forexample, the web service 240 may retrieve the results 232 from thedatabase 250 based on the contents of the query 222. The results 232 maybe transmitted for display to the display device 206.

It will be appreciated that the system 200 of FIG. 2 may provideinterface generation, interface display, and query generation atdifferent computing devices. For example, a web service developer orvendor associated with the web service 240 and the database 250 maydevelop a web site at the web server 260. The web site may include theuser interface 214, the modified user interface 215, and the results232. In such an example, users such as the user 202 may be able to visitthe web site to drive operation of the web service instead of learningcomplex APIs associated with the web service. It will thus beappreciated that the system 200 of FIG. 2 may enable software developersand data vendors to simplify web service usage.

FIG. 3 is a diagram to illustrate a particular embodiment of an XMLservice specification 300 that may be used with the system 100 of FIG. 1or the system 200 of FIG. 2. For example, the XML service specification300 may be included in the service and series specifications 112 of FIG.1 or the service and series specifications 212 of FIG. 2.

In a particular embodiment, the XML service specification 300 may befetched by appending a known string (e.g., “/$service”) to the end of abase URL of a web service. For example, the service specification forlocally running a United States crime statistics service“http://localhost/services/UsCrimeService.svc” may be fetched at the URL“http://localhost/services/UsCrimeService.svc/$service.” In a particularembodiment, a service specification exists for each data set hosted bythe service. For example, a service specification for a “majorcrimes”data set may be fetched at the URL“Intp://localhost/services/UsCrimeService.svc/majorcrimes/$service.”

The XML service specification 300 may include a plurality of nodes. Forexample, the service specification may include a root node(illustratively labeled as “<service>” in FIG. 3) that includes generalnodes (e.g., a Boolean paging permission 302, a string service title304, a string service description 306, and a logo URI operable toretrieve a logo image associated with the service).

The root node may also include parameter nodes, which include listparameters (e.g., a list parameter 308), and URI nodes. Each listparameter may represent a list of possible data values that aredisplayed as a drop down menu. In a particular embodiment, each listparameter includes a display name that is used as a label for the dropdown menu, a unique series identifier (ID) 312, and a series source path314. A URI node may include one or more series nodes, where each seriesnode includes a series URI template 310 that may be used to generate aURI for a particular series specification. For example, the seriessource path 314 may be appended to the series URI template 310 togenerate a URI for a particular series specification. For example, ifthe value of “services” is 4, the URI may be“http://localhost/services/UsCrimeService.svc/series?series=4.”

FIG. 4 is a diagram to illustrate a particular embodiment of an XMLseries specification 400 that may be used with the system 100 of FIG. 1or the system 200 of FIG. 2. For example, the XML series specification400 may be included in the service and series specifications 112 of FIG.1 or the service and series specifications 212 of FIG. 2.

As described with respect to FIG. 3, a web service may host one or moredata series. Each of the one or more data series may have an associatedseries specification. The URI for each particular series specificationmay be generated based on a series URI template (e.g., the series URItemplate 310 of FIG. 3) and a series source path (e.g., the seriessource path 314 of FIG. 3) included in a service specification (e.g.,the XML service specification 300 of FIG. 3).

The series specification 400 may include a plurality of nodes. Forexample, the series specification may include a root node(illustratively labeled as “<series>” in FIG. 4) that includes one ormore of a parameters node, a result set node, an actions node, and aURIs node. The parameters node may include parameters 402 that aredefined for the particular series. For example, in the particularembodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, the parameters “State,” “City,” and“Year” are defined for the US statistics service, where each of theparameters is a list parameter (e.g., the service is capable ofretrieving statistics for multiple states, cities, and years). Each suchlist parameter may be displayed as a drop down list at a user interfacegenerated in accordance with the series specification 400. Theparameters 402 may also include string parameters, integer parameters,and floating point parameters.

Each list parameter may point to a list document (e.g., “statesList,”“citiesList,” and “yearsList” in FIG. 4). Each list document may be anXML file with item nodes representing the values of the drop down menu.For example, the “statesList” document may include:

<list>   <item key=”Alabama”>Alabama<item>   <itemkey=”Alaska”>Alaska<item>   <item key=”Arizona”>Arizona<item>   <itemkey=”Arkansas”>Arkansas<item>   <item key=”California”>California<item>  <item key=”Colorado”> Colorado <item>   <item key=”Connecticut”>Connecticut <item>   <item key=”Delaware”>Delaware<item>   . . . </list>

The result set node may include data fields 404 that are returned andpopulated by a query invocation. For example, in the particularembodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, invoking a query with respect to theUS crime statistics service returns a string “Name” field and integerfields for “Violent Crime,” “Robbery,” “AggravatedAssault,” “PropertyCrime,” “Burglary,” “Larceny,” “MotorVehicleTheft,” and “Arson.”

The actions node may include actions that are performed based onselection of the parameters 402. Thus, a different action may beassociated with each list value of a drop down menu at a web serviceinterface. For example, in the particular embodiment illustrated in FIG.4, the actions node contains an auto-refresh URI 406 that is useable toautomatically refresh a user interface generated in accordance with theXML series specification 400 when a user selects one or more of theparameters 402. For example, if a user selects the state “Texas,” a dropdown menu for “Cities” may be automatically refreshed in accordance withthe auto-refresh URI 406 (e.g., the drop down menu for “Cities” may bechanged to include cities in Texas and not include cities in any otherstate). Auto-refresh operations at an interface associated with a webservice are further described with respect to FIG. 5.

The URIs node may include a query node, an analyze node, and a previewnode. The query node may include a query URI 408 that is useable toquery the web service for data. The analyze node may include a URI thatis useable to perform advanced data analysis (e.g., at a spreadsheetapplication) on data generated by querying the web service. The previewnode may include a results URI 410 that is useable to generate a previewof the data generated by querying the web service. In a particularembodiment, the results URI is used to display results at a userinterface as described with reference to the results 132 of FIG. 1 andthe results 232 of FIG. 2.

It should be noted that although the XML service specification 300 andthe XML series specification 400 are illustrated in FIGS. 3-4 as XMLfiles, service specifications and series specifications may instead berepresented in any computer-recognizable language (e.g., text file, richtext format (RTF), or hyper text markup language (HTML)).

FIG. 5 is diagram to illustrate a particular embodiment 500 ofautomatically refreshing an interface for a web service based on userinput. In the particular embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, the userinterface 510 is refreshed to the user interface 520. For illustrativepurposes, the user interfaces 510 and 520 are depicted as interfaces tothe US crime statistics web service described with respect to FIG. 3 andFIG. 4.

User interfaces for web services may be refreshed in response to userinput. For example, user input 502 indicating a user selection of“Texas” in the State drop down menu at the user interface 510 maytrigger an auto-refresh operation. The result of the auto-refreshoperation may be the user interface 520, where bounds of the City andYear drop down menus are automatically updated 522 based on seriesspecification(s) associated with Texas. For example, in the particularembodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, the initial City drop down reflects anunbounded set of available cities in the USA, and the initial Year dropdown menu reflects an unbounded set of all available years (e.g.,1990-2000). In response to the user input 502, the City drop down menuis automatically set to “Abilene” (e.g., the first city in Texas, inalphabetical order, for which the US crime statistics service is able toretrieve data) and the Year drop down menu is automatically set to 1995(e.g., the earliest year for which the US crime statistics service isable to retrieve data for Abilene, Tex.). The bounds of City drop downmenu are set (e.g., available cities in Texas), and minimum/maximumvalues of the Year drop down menu are also set (e.g., to the earliestand latest years for which data related to the state of Texas isavailable).

It will be appreciated that automatically refreshing user interfaces forweb services as illustrated in FIG. 5 may provide an “active” interfacefor web service query generation. For example, user interfaces may beautomatically refreshed to stay current with and reflect user input(e.g., the user input 502) received from a user.

FIG. 6 is a diagram to illustrate a particular embodiment of aninterface 600 for a web service, where the interface may preview resultsof a query of the web service. The interface 600 includes a querygeneration area 610, a results preview area 620, and a web serviceinformation area 630. In the particular embodiment illustrated in FIG.6, the interface 600 is an interface to data provided by the Food andAgricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN).

The web service information area 630 may include a title, description,and logo of the web service. In a particular embodiment, the title,description and logo are retrieved from a service specification for theweb service as described with respect to the XML service specification300 of FIG. 3.

The query generation area 610 may also include various input parameteroptions and query generation options in accordance with service andseries specifications. For example, the query generation area 610 mayinclude a display of service parameters 611. For example, the serviceparameters 611 include “Series,” “Country or Area,” and “Year.” Theparticular embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6 indicates a user selectionof the Agricultural Production Index (“Agri. Prodn. Indx.) series. Thequery generation area 610 may also include a display of paginginformation (e.g., whether the web service supports paging). The querygeneration area 610 may further include a display of an Account Key 613,a SessionID 614 (e.g., a GUID), a REST URI 617, and a program class(e.g., a proxy C# class) download hyperlink 616. The query generationarea 610 may also include an option to invoke a query in multipleavailable data interchange formats 622. For example, in the particularembodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, the query of the web service isinvoked as an ATOM 1.0 feed. The query of the web service mayalternately be invoked in any other data interchange format, such as RAWXML or JSON.

The results preview area 620 may include a display of the resultsgenerated by invoking a query of the web service. For example, in theparticular embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, the results preview area620 displays data from the Agricultural Production Index. The resultspreview area 620 may display the results in multiple available datainterchange formats 622. For example, although the particular embodimentillustrated in FIG. 6 depicts the results displayed in a tabular format,the results may alternately be displayed at the results preview area 620in a RAW XML format, a JSON format, or an ATOM 1.0 format. When userinput changes the value of the service parameters 611, the resultspreview area 620 may be updated to display a preview of new results thatare based on the changed service parameters 611.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram to illustrate a particular embodiment of amethod 700 to generate an interface for a web service and to query theweb service. In an illustrative embodiment, the method 700 may beperformed by the system 100 of FIG. 1.

The method 700 includes generating a user interface associated with aweb service, at 702. The user interface includes one or more inputparameter options associated with the web service and is generated basedon an XML service specification and one or more XML seriesspecifications associated with the XML service specification. Forexample, in FIG. 1, the interface module 110 may generate the userinterface 114 based on the service and series specifications 112associated with the web service 140, where the user interface 114includes the input parameter options 116. As another example, asillustrated in FIG. 6, the interface 600 may be generated, where theinterface 600 includes the service parameters 611.

The method 700 also includes receiving user input via the userinterface, where the user input includes a selection of at least one ofthe one or more input parameter options, at 704. For example, in FIG. 1,the user input 104 may be received via the user interface 114, where theuser input 104 includes a selection of the input parameter options 116.As another example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the AgriculturalProduction Index may be selected.

The method 700 further includes generating a query of the web servicebased on the received user input, where the query reflects the at leastone selected input parameter option, at 706. For example, in FIG. 1, thequery module 120 may generate the query 122. As another example, asillustrated in FIG. 6, a query of the Agricultural Production Index dataseries (e.g., a structured query language (SQL) query “select * fromAgriProdnIndx”) may be generated.

The method 700 includes invoking the generated query with respect to theweb service to receive results, at 708. For example, in FIG. 1, thequery module 120 may invoke the query 122 and the results module 130 mayreceive the results 132. As another example, as illustrated in FIG. 6,the query of the Agricultural Production Index may be invoked and theresults displayed in the results preview area 620 may be received.

The method 700 also includes automatically adding the received resultsto the user interface, at 710. For example, in FIG. 1, the resultsmodule 130 may automatically add the results 132 to the user interface114. As another example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the results may bedisplayed in the results preview area 620 of the interface 600.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram to illustrate a particular embodiment of amethod 800 of receiving an interface for a web service and generating aquery of the web service. In an illustrative embodiment, the method 800may be performed at the system 200 of FIG. 2.

The method 800 includes receiving a user interface associated with a webservice from a web server, at 802, and displaying the user interface, at804. The user interface includes one or more input parameter optionsassociated with the web service and is generated based on an XML servicespecification and one or more XML series specifications associated withthe XML service specification. For example, in FIG. 2, the userinterface 214 associated with the web service 240 may be received fromthe server 260 and displayed at the display device 206, where the userinterface 214 is generated based on the series and servicespecifications 212. As another example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, theinterface 600 may be displayed, where the interface 600 is generatedbased on XML service and series specifications.

The method 800 also includes receiving user input at the user interface,at 806, and transmitting the user input to the web server, at 808. Theuser input includes a selection of at least one of the one or more inputparameter options. For example, in FIG. 2, the user input 204 may bereceived and transmitted to the web server 260. As another example, asillustrated in FIG. 6, the Agricultural Production Index may beselected.

The method 800 further includes receiving a modified user interface fromthe web server and displaying the modified user interface, at 810. Themodified user interface reflects the user input. For example, in FIG. 2,the modified user interface 215 may be received from the web server 260and displayed at the display device 206. As another example, asillustrated in FIG. 6, the selection of the Agricultural ProductionIndex may be indicated by the “Series” drop down menu at the interface600.

The method 800 includes generating a query of the web service based onthe received user input, where the query reflects the at least oneselected input parameter option, at 812. For example, in FIG. 2, thequery 222 may be generated. As another example, as illustrated in FIG.6, a query of the Agricultural Production Index data series may begenerated.

The method 800 also includes transmitting the generated query to the webserver and receiving results based on an invocation of the generatedquery from the web server, at 814. For example, in FIG. 2, the query 222may be transmitted to the web server 260 and the results 232 based on aninvocation of the query 222 may be transmitted from the web server 260.As another example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the query of theAgricultural Production Index may be invoked and the results displayedin the results preview area 620 may be received.

The method further includes displaying the results at the modified userinterface, at 816. For example, in FIG. 2, the results 232 may bedisplayed at the modified user interface 215 at the display device 206.As another example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the results may bedisplayed in the results preview area 620 of the interface 600.

FIG. 9 depicts a block diagram of a computing environment 900 includinga computing device 910 operable to support embodiments ofcomputer-implemented methods, computer program products, and systemcomponents according to the present disclosure. In an illustrativeembodiment, the computing device 910 may include one or more of themodules 110, 120, 130 of FIG. 1, the web service 140 of FIG. 1, and thedisplay device 206 of FIG. 2. Each of the modules 110, 120, 130 of FIG.1, the web service 140 of FIG. 1, and the display device 206 of FIG. 2may include or be implemented using the computing device 910 or aportion thereof.

The computing device 910 includes at least one processor 920 and asystem memory 930. Depending on the configuration and type of computingdevice, the system memory 930 may be volatile (such as random accessmemory or “RAM”), non-volatile (such as read-only memory or “ROM,” flashmemory, and similar memory devices that maintain stored data even whenpower is not provided), or some combination of the two. The systemmemory 930 typically includes an operating system 932, one or moreapplication platforms 934, one or more applications 936, and may includeprogram data 938 associated with the one or more applications.

The computing device 910 may also have additional features orfunctionality. For example, the computing device 910 may also includeremovable and/or non-removable additional data storage devices such asmagnetic disks, optical disks, tape, and standard-sized or miniatureflash memory cards. Such additional storage is illustrated in FIG. 9 byremovable storage 940 and non-removable storage 950. Computer storagemedia may include volatile and/or non-volatile storage and removableand/or non-removable media implemented in any technology for storage ofinformation such as computer-readable instructions, data structures,program components or other data. The system memory 930, the removablestorage 940 and the non-removable storage 950 are all examples ofcomputer storage media. The computer storage media includes, but is notlimited to, RANI, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read-onlymemory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disks(CD), digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magneticcassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magneticstorage devices, or any other medium that can be used to storeinformation and that can be accessed by the computing device 910. Anysuch computer storage media may be part of the computing device 910. Thecomputing device 910 may also have input device(s) 960, such as akeyboard, mouse, pen, voice input device, touch input device, etc.Output device(s) 970, such as a display, speakers, printer, etc. mayalso be included. A user 902 may be able to interact with the computingdevice 910 via the input device(s) 960 and the output device(s) 970.

The computing device 910 also contains one or more communicationconnections 980 that allow the computing device 910 to communicate withother computing devices (e.g., a web server 990 and a database 992) overa wired or a wireless network. In an illustrative embodiment, the webserver 990 is the web server 260 of FIG. 1 and the database 992 is thedatabase 150 of FIG. 1 or the database 250 of FIG. 2.

It will be appreciated that not all of the components or devicesillustrated in FIG. 9 or otherwise described in the previous paragraphsare necessary to support embodiments as herein described. For example,the removable storage 940 may be optional.

The illustrations of the embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of the variousembodiments. The illustrations are not intended to serve as a completedescription of all of the elements and features of apparatus and systemsthat utilize the structures or methods described herein. Many otherembodiments may be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewingthe disclosure. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived from thedisclosure, such that structural and logical substitutions and changesmay be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure.Accordingly, the disclosure and the figures are to be regarded asillustrative rather than restrictive.

Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrativelogical blocks, configurations, modules, and process steps orinstructions described in connection with the embodiments disclosedherein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, orcombinations of both. Various illustrative components, blocks,configurations, modules, or steps have been described generally in termsof their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented ashardware or software depends upon the particular application and designconstraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans mayimplement the described functionality in varying ways for eachparticular application, but such implementation decisions should not beinterpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the presentdisclosure.

The steps of a method described in connection with the embodimentsdisclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a softwaremodule executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. Asoftware module may reside in computer readable media, such as randomaccess memory (RAM), flash memory, read only memory (ROM), registers, ahard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storagemedium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to aprocessor such that the processor can read information from, and writeinformation to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storagemedium may be integral to the processor or the processor and the storagemedium may reside as discrete components in a computing device orcomputer system.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any subsequent arrangementdesigned to achieve the same or similar purpose may be substituted forthe specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover anyand all subsequent adaptations or variations of various embodiments.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided with the understanding thatit will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of theclaims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, variousfeatures may be grouped together or described in a single embodiment forthe purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This disclosure is not to beinterpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodimentsrequire more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather,as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter may bedirected to less than all of the features of any of the disclosedembodiments.

The previous description of the embodiments is provided to enable aperson skilled in the art to make or use the embodiments. Variousmodifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may beapplied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of thedisclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limitedto the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scopepossible consistent with the principles and novel features as defined bythe following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a processor coupled to amemory within a computing device, wherein the processor is configured toretrieve instructions from the memory that, when executed, cause theprocessor to: generate a user interface based on a servicespecification, the service specification associated with a web serviceand referencing a series identifier, wherein the user interface isconfigured to use the series identifier to access one or more seriesspecifications; generate input parameter options to be displayed at theuser interface, the input parameter options defined by the one or moreseries specifications; receive user input via the user interface,wherein the user input comprises a selection of at least one of theinput parameter options; generate a query with respect to the webservice, the query based on the selection of at least one of the inputparameter options; and provide a result based on the generated query. 2.The system of claim 1, wherein the service specification and the one ormore series specifications are represented in extensible markup language(XML), and wherein the service specification is retrieved by appending aservice identifier string to an end of a uniform resource locator (URL)of the web service.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the query isgenerated by use of a representational state transfer (REST) uniformresource identifier (URI).
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the userinterface includes a display of at least one of an account key, asession identifier, a program class download hyperlink, and therepresentational state transfer (REST) uniform resource identifier(URI).
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured toupdate a hyperlink for a program class generated as part of the query.6. The system of claim 1, wherein the session identifier is a globallyunique identifier (GUID).
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one ormore series specifications define interface specifications associatedwith the user interface and wherein the interface specificationsreference at least one of a paging permission, a string service name, astring service description, a displayable image, a list parameterrepresenting possible values displayable in a drop down menu, andactions based on the user input.
 8. A method, comprising: generating, bya computer system, a user interface based on a service specification,the service specification associated with a web service and referencinga series identifier, wherein the user interface uses the seriesidentifier to access one or more series specifications, generating, bythe computer system, input parameter options defined by the one or moreseries specifications; displaying, at the user interface, the inputparameter options; receiving user input at the user interface, whereinthe user input comprises a selection of at least one of the inputparameter options; generating, by the computer system, a query withrespect to the web service based on the selection of at least one of theinput parameter options; and providing a result based on the generatedquery.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the service specification andthe one or more series specifications are represented in extensiblemarkup language (XML), and wherein the service specification isretrieved by appending a service identifier string to an end of auniform resource locator (URL) of the web service.
 10. The method ofclaim 8, wherein a representational state transfer (REST) uniformresource identifier (URI) is used to invoke the query.
 11. The method ofclaim 8, wherein the user interface includes a display of arepresentational state transfer (REST) uniform resource identifier(URI).
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the representational statetransfer (REST) uniform resource identifier (URI) is updated based onthe query.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more seriesspecifications define interface specifications associated with the userinterface, and wherein the interface specifications reference at leastone of a paging permission, a string service name, a string servicedescription, a displayable image, a list parameter representing possiblevalues displayable in a drop down menu, and actions based on the userinput.
 14. The method of claim 8, comprising: displaying, at the userinterface, a query generation area that includes a display of a programclass download hyperlink, wherein the program class download hyperlinkis selectable to retrieve a program class to encapsulate the selectionof at least one of the input parameter options; transmitting theselection of at least one of the input parameter options to the webservice; receiving a modified user interface from the web service,wherein the modified user interface reflects the selection of at leastone of the input parameter options; and displaying the modified userinterface.
 15. A computer-readable storage device comprisinginstructions, that when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:generate a user interface based on a service specification, the servicespecification associated with a web service and referencing a seriesidentifier, wherein the user interface uses the series identifier toaccess one or more series specifications; generate input parameteroptions to be displayed at the user interface, the input parameteroptions defined by the one or more series specifications; receive userinput via the user interface, wherein the user input comprises aselection of at least one of the input parameter options; generate aquery with respect to the web service based on the selection of at leastone of the input parameter options; and provide a result based on thegenerated query.
 16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15,further comprising instructions that cause the computer to display, atthe user interface, a query generation area that includes a display of aprogram class download hyperlink, wherein the program class downloadhyperlink is selectable to retrieve a program class to encapsulate theselection of at least one input parameter option.
 17. Thecomputer-readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the querygeneration area includes a display of a representational state transfer(REST) uniform resource identifier (URI).
 18. The computer-readablestorage device of claim 17, wherein the representational state transfer(REST) uniform resource identifier (URI) is updated based on the query.19. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the one ormore series specifications define interface specifications associatedwith the user interface, and wherein the interface specificationsreference at least one of a paging permission, a string service name, astring service description, a displayable image, a list parameterrepresenting possible values displayable in a drop down menu, andactions based on the user input.
 20. The computer-readable storagedevice of claim 15, wherein the service specification and the one ormore series specifications are represented in extensible markup language(XML), and wherein the service specification is retrieved by appending aservice identifier string to an end of a base uniform resource locator(URL) of the web service.